Valve-control mechanism.



1. B. WILSON.

VALVE CONTROL MECHNISM.

APPLICATION FILED Auaal. |915.

JOSEPH IB. WILSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO WESTINGI-IOUSE ELECTRIC &

MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF ENNSYLVANIA.

` VALVE-CONTROL MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 31, 1915. Serial No. 48,225.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, JosnPH B VWILsoN, a citizen of the United States, and aresi dent of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have made a new and useful Invention in Valve-Control Mechanism, of which the following is a specication.

This invention relates to means for controlling the delivery of iuid to a turbine or engine from an auxiliary source of supply.

It is customary in power plants to operate some of the auxiliaries, such as circulating pum-ps, feed water pumps, etc., noncondensing, and to employthe steam exhausted from them in a heating system, such as, for example, a feed water heater. It is also customary to deliver the excess steam of the feed water heater or heating system to a power developing unit, so that it may be efficiently employed. This is usually accomplished by delivering the excess steam to a working passage within a power developing unit, in which the pressure of the steam is normally substantially equal to or below that existing in the feed water heater or heating system, and means are ordinarily employed for closing communication between the heater or heating system and the power developing unit, when the unit exceeds a determined speed.

An object of this invention is to produce a valve mechanism for controlling the delivery of steam from a feed water heater, or anauxiliary source of steam supply, to a power developing unit, in which means are employed for controlling the valve in response to variations in the pressure of the operating fluid delivered to the power unit from the main source of fluid supply.

A further object is to produce a valve mechanism for delivering fluid to the power developing unit from an auxiliary source of iiuid supply, in which means are employed for closing the valve when the power unit exceeds a safe or determined speed and also when the pressure of the fluid at the main inlet port of the unit falls below a predetermined pressure.

.These and other objects, made apparent throughout the further description of. my invention, are attained by means of a valve mechanism embodying the which will be features herein described'vand illustrate d in section a valve mechanism embodying my invention.

Referring to the drawing: A valve 3,

illustrated as a balanced valve, is provided with a casing el, having an inlet port 5, which communicates with an auxiliary source of fluid supply, such for example as a feed water heater. The valve is adapted to control the delivery of Huid from the auxiliary source to an auxiliary inlet port of a power developing unit A, and the casing is provided with a delivery port 6, which communicates with an auxiliary inlet port of the power developing unit. As illustrated, the stem 7 of the valve extends upwardly through the casing and is provided near its upper end with a plunger or piston 8 which is located within the cylinder 9. In the drawing the valve stem 7 projects through the cylinder 9 and its projecting end is surrounded by a coil spring 10, located between an adjustable vspring block, carried by the valve stein and .the'adj'acent head of the cylinder 9. vVlith this arrangement, the spring normally tends to open the valve 3. Fluid under pressure is delivered to the cylinder 9 through a port or passage 12, which preferably communicates with the main source of supply from which fluid is delivered to the power developing unit. Fluid from the port or passage 12 is delivered to the upper side of the piston S, but the piston is so yconstructed that fluid is capable of leaking past it in limited quantitles from the upper to the lower end of the cylinder 9. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that a by-pass cap'able of permitting a restricted flow of steam may be provided around the piston, instead of permitting leakage around the piston.

The lower end of the cylinder 9 is shown provided with two ports 13 and 14,'the former of which communicates through a pip- Patented Dee-31', 1918.

ing 15 with an automatic stop governor or other mechanism controlled by the speed jof the power unit for automatically opening the passage 15 and placing 1t in`(,:ommunicat ion` with a region of low pressure, such fbr 'eX-.1

The portv 14 "is y ample, as the'Jv atmosphere Vso shown in direct communication with the atmosphere, and communication between this port and the lower end of the cylinder 9 is controlled by means of a pilot or plunger valve 16, the upper end of which is exposed to the pressure of' the uid delivered to the upper end of' the cylinder 9 through the port or passage 12. '.lhe lower end of the valve 16 is enlarged or is provided with a piston 17, which is located in a cylinder 18. The upper' end of the cylinder 18 is provided with a port or passage 19, which communi- Cates with the port 141 and therefore exposes the upper end of the piston 17 to atmospheric pressure. The lower end of the cylinder 18 is provided with a port or passage 20, which communicates through a pipe or passage 21 with the inlet port of the power developing unit, to which the valve 3 supplies fluid. In this way fluid from the inlet port of the unit is delivered to the lower face of the piston 17 and consequently tends to raise the pilot valve 16, in opposition to the fluid pressure delivered through the port or passage l2, and to thereby close communication between the atmospheric port 14 and the lower end of the cyl* inder 9, by lifting the pilot valve.

By properly. proportioning the area of the piston 17 with relation to the area of the exposed end of the valve 16, the valve 16 will remain closed until the pressure at the inlet port of the power developing unit falls below a predetermined pressure. When this happens the pressure on the upper end of' the valve 16 will preponderate, thevalve will be forced downwardly and communication between the atmospheric port 14 and the lower end of' the cylinder 9 will be established. This will imbalance the fluid pressure on opposite sides of the piston 8 by exhausting the fiuid from the lower end ofthe cylinder to thef atmosphere and consequently the piston 8, operating in response to the pressure of the Huid delivered to the upper end of the cylinder 9, will close the valve 3 in opposition to the pressure of' the spring 10. 'I'he same result will be accomplished through the operation of the automatic stop governor, or by placing the port 13 in communication with the atmosphere or a-region of low pressure.

With the valve mechanism illustrated, communication between the auxiliary source of supply and the auxiliary inlet port of the power developing unit will be closed when the main fluid supply to the unit is throttled a determined amount, or in other words, when the Huid at the inlet of the power developing unit falls below a determined pressure.

With the arrangement of apparatus illustrated, the valve will automatically open afterl the pressure at the main inlet port of the power unit exceeds a determined pressure and consequently the delivery of the auxiliary supplyV of iuid to the power unit will be controlled in response to variations in the delivery of the main supply of uid to the unit, or in response to the operation of the regulating governor of the unit. This will be apparent when it is considered that the governor of the main unit in varying the supply of fluid to the unit also varies the pressure of the fluid delivered through the port 20 to the piston 17 and the pilot valve 16.

It will be apparent that means, other than the spring 10, may be employed for opening the valve 3 when the fluid pressures on opposite sides of the piston 8 are equal or substantially equal. F or example, with the mechanism illustrated, the spring 10 could be eliminated by locating the piston 8 and its cylinder below the valve 3 and so proportioning the size of the valve stem that the unbalanced Huid pressure acting on the lower face of the piston 8 would be suiiicient to lift or open the'valve.

It is usual practice to so construct the release valve, controlled by the automatic stop governor of the power unit, that it will remain open until manually closed, consequently with the pipe or passage 15 of the valve mechanism illustrated equipped with such a release valve, the valve 3 will remain closed, after the automatic stop governor has operated and until the release valve is manually closed. With 'my invention the automatic stop governor will not be called into operation, unless the regulating governor does not act, and the auxiliary valve will open automatically after it has closed in response'to the operation of the regulating governor.

While I have illustrated but one embodiment of my invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art th at various changes, modifications, additions and omissions may be made without departing from the spirit and scope oi my invention, as set forth by the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In- Combination with a power developing apparatus, an auxiliary supply valve, and means responsive to variations in the pressure of the fluid at the main inlet of said power developing apparatus for controlling the operation of said valve.

9. In combination with a power developing apparatus, having a main inlet for the main fluid supply and an auxiliary inlet for auxiliar f fiuid supply, a valve for controlling the delivery of fluid from an auxiliary source of supply to said auxiliary inlet, and means responsive to variations in the pressure of the fiuid at the main inlet of said apparatus for closing said. valve when the pressure at the main inlet falls below a determined pressure.

y3. In combination with a power developing apparatus, having a main inlet Jfor fluid from the main source of supply and an auxiliary inlet for fluid from an auxiliary source of supply, a valve for controlling the delivery of fluid from the auxiliary source of supply to the auxiliary inlet of said apparatus, means responsive to variations in the pressure of the fluid at the main inlet of said apparatus for closing said valve, and means responsive to the speed of the apparatus for closing said valve.

l. In combination with a power developing apparatus, having an auxiliary fluid inlet, a valve for controlling the delivery of fluid through said inlet, and means responsive to the pressure of the fluid at the main inlet of said apparatus for controlling the operation of said valve.

5. In combination with a power developing apparatus, having an auxiliary fluid inlet port, a valve for controlling the delivery of fluid through said auxiliary inlet, and a pilot valve actuated solely by fluid pressure for controlling the operation of said valve.

6. In combination with a power developing apparatus, an auxiliary supply valve, a piston controlling said valve, and a fluid actuated pilot valve controlling the operation of the piston in response to pressure variations within the power developing apparatus.

7 In combination with a power developing apparatus, an auxiliary supply valve, a piston subjected to differential pressure and controlling said valve, and a fluid actuated valve responsive to variations in pressure within the power developing apparatus for controlling the differential pressures to which said piston is subjected.

8. In combination with a power developing apparatus, an auxiliary supply valve, a piston subjected to differential pressure for controlling said valve, a pilot valve for controlling the differential pressure acting on said piston, and means for exerting a force on the piston in opposition to the direction of di'erential pressure exerted on said valve.

9. In combination with a turbine a valve having a stem, means tending to hold the valve open, a piston on the stem, a cylinder loosely fitting around the piston, a passage for delivering fluid under pressure to one end of the cylinder, and means for controlling the exhaust from the other end of the cylinder in response to pressure variations within the turbine.

10. A valve having a stem, a spring on the stem tending to hold the valve open, a piston on the stem, a cylinder loosely fitting around the piston, a passage for delivering Huid under pressure to one end of the cylinder, a pilot valve actuated by variations in pressure of fluid delivered to one end thereof, for placing the other end of the cylinder in communication with the atmosphere, and means for relieving the pressure in the last mentioned end of the cylinder independently of the pilot valve.

11. In combination with a power developing apparatus, an auxiliary supply valve, means responsive to variations in the pressure of the fluid at the main inlet of' the power developing unit for controlling the operation of said valve, and responsive to the operation of a speed responsive mechanism for closing said valve and maintaining it closed independently of variations in fluid pressure at the main inl t of the apparatus.

12. In combination with a power developing apparatus, an auxiliary valve, a fluid pressure piston for controlling the operation of said valve, a pilot responsive to variations in pressure of' the motive fluid at the inlet of the apparatus for controlling,

the operation of said piston, and means responsive to the speed of the apparatus for closing said valve independently of the operation of the pilot valve.

13. In combination with a power developing apparatus, having a main inlet port for fluid from the main source of' supply and an auxiliary inlet port for fluid from an auxiliary source of supply, a valve for controlling the delivery of fluid from the auxiliary source of supply to the auxiliary inlet of the apparatus, a piston controlling the valve and subjected to the pressure of fluid from the main source of supply on one side, a spring tending to counteract said pressure, a pilot valve controlled by variations in pressure of fluid in the power developing apparatus for regulating the pressure on the other side of the piston and a speed responsive device for relieving the pressure on the last mentioned side of the piston.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 26 day of August,

JOSEPH B. IVILSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

